So I thought I should introduce myself (Martin) and my partner (Vivien) ..albeit by proxy - as in introducing her by proxy...she's not my partner by proxy. Hmm. I tend to ramble; I apologise in advance for this.

Anyyway, we're from the UK (currently Liverpool...soon to be Manchester)...and we're a tad more mature than a lot of first time burners seem to be. Or rather, Viv is mature...i'm just "old" ...allegedly. Thankfully 47 doesn't feel very old, though that could be more to do with my lack of conventional maturity of course.

As the title suggests we are virgin burners looking to make our first foray into the Playa this year. I've had a few friends who have thrown themselves into the experience; but this year I decided it was time to actually get out there. Partly due to some prodding from a UK friend who is a regular burner and DJ at Burning Man, partly because it fits with the fairly significant series of major life events happening this year. It just feels like Burning Man would bring a lot of "stuff" together for both my partner and I, in ways that no other experience could. Also I suppose, because my DJ friend is trying to take a lot of the Burning Man ethos out into the rest of the world through a series of large shows and being involved with that means we should probably experience it for myself.

But mainly because it looks and sounds like one of the most engaging and powerful experiences we could have; that alone makes it worth doing.

So - we have our tickets (that was a nail-biting night!) and we are slowly preparing ourselves. Sadly; for two people who are ultra-organised and very much "doers", we've yet to arrange little things like..where are we going to sleep (on those occassions when we manage to, of course). I've been looking at RV's ...and in particular RV's that are taken to the Playa for you. I know, I know - I have read several debates around turnkey/plug and play camping and I completely get why that process could be damaging to the Burning Man ethos and therefore the experience. I should make it clear we have no desire whatsoever to buy into the "adventure camp experience" whereby someone just lays everything on for you. We're both keen to be self-sufficient at all times so letting someone else handle EVERYTHING is not for us. But that said; when you're looking to arrange stuff from the UK it's a very attractive idea to have someone take the RV to the Playa for you. Realistically; we won't have much time to play with (huge job changes, significant family issues and the fact we're in the process of buying a new home all impact on our available time in ways we can't control). GIven that; taking time out to get all the camping supplies we need once we're over there would prove difficult at best; more importantly it also means buying a lot of kit that we then either gift to someone or dump. If we can't find someone to take it then we've just contributed to landfills..that seems wrong. The "leave no trace" ethos; for me, should apply all the time..not just on the playa. So my apologies to those who frown upon RV's being provided on the Playa; but for foreign visitors who need to have everything paid for in advance so there's little in the way of nasty surprises (like cleaning bills) it's a practicable solution. Equally - they're so booked up it would mean booking one from so far away that it adds extra driving time that we may well not have.

Obviously if anyone has suggestions around this I would be keen to hear them; by suggestions I mean places that simply provide an RV (we're happy sorting out food, water and other supplies to take along) OR alternatives that I haven't considered yet.

I have to stress, before anyone mentions it, we are completely committed to the idea of participating rather than spectating. My DJ friend is tied into a couple of the larger camps so I'm hoping we can ride his coat-tails and work in one of those; but any other suggestions are welcome. We don't want to simply wander the playa for a week..as nice as that sounds. We like doing things, we like getting involved and as we probably won't be able to carry much to gift in terms of physical objects - giving of ourselves, our time and efforts, seems a good place to start.

We used to put on very large warehouse parties in London with much the same ethos. Nobody was paid, we all played and worked for the experience..and loved every second. (Ok maybe not EVERY second..but close enough )

Anyway - I'm rambling again..as I have a wont to do. (I did warn you....). Now it's time for me to browse yet more threads...no doubt I will see some of you in those.

for someone looking for 'someone to provide,' i think you approached it well. be prepared for a bit of snark from the peanut gallery, but they do mean well.

best advice from another newb - read these forums. spend HOURS. read every thread you have time for. of course, the survival guide and all of the tabs on the BM site, but i'll tell ya, these forums are a goldmine of information for the newbs.

"Settle down you two and play nice - or no dubstep for either." mdmf007"Just look for camp 'Bad Mother Fucker' and ask for Jules." Supafly_fresh

For what its worth, there are other options for international travelers than RV's delivered to Playa. There are camps that specifically help international travelers with such things as shelter, sleeping space, and cooking gear. Green Tortoise is the only one that comes to mind. Though, I believe there are others. I also believe that someone on eplaya has a less formal way of doing the same thing, I can't remember who though. My understanding is that they bring to the playa a tent, sleeping bag(s), and community kitchen. You're responsible for food, water, clothing, costumes, and I believe bikes. I could be 100% wrong about the whole thing. So, you should look at the main Burningman.com site, and look for information for international travelers.

Why don't ya stick your head in that hole and find out? ~pieholePlan for the worst, expect the best. Make the most out of it under any conditions. If you cannot do that you will never enjoy yourself. ~CrispyDave

Many thanks for those replies guys - we're stupidly excited about our first Burn

I should perhaps stress that I'm absolutely NOT looking for "someone to provide"...although I guess it kind of comes across that way. Sorry - that wasn't my intention! When I asked if people had suggestions around it, I just meant they were welcome; local knowledge is invaluable after all. But I've done a lot of travelling, including several major treks, so I'm quite happy getting stuff sorted..... I just appreciate local knowledge and advice when it's forthcoming. I'm aware of the fierce reponses some people have had when asking about such things - some of which I found a bit off...but understandable in context. So yeah - advice such as that provided by Illy Dilly (Thank you! ) fits the bill perfectly.

I'll look into the camps for international travellers. And yes; my intention is to read read read and then read some more. Fitting in time for that, in what seems to be a race against everything being booked up is proving challenging...but that's part of the fun right?

Luckily my burner friend is more than happy to get quizzed about stuff and is well tied into to several camps so that knowledge will be invaluable.

But at the same time...I don't want to ask too many questions. There's practicalities I need to ask people about in order to get concise and directed answers (and to avoid getting us into trouble!)- but everything else i'd rather experience with a blank slate for BM to write upon. Although fom what I can gather i'm likely to be an equally blank slate when I leave. I kind of like that idea though.

BW - i just phrased it like that to save typing. it def comes across that you are 1) pretty self reliant and 2) have very good intentions and 3) know your limitations of what you can and cannot do. kudos to you for that!

"Settle down you two and play nice - or no dubstep for either." mdmf007"Just look for camp 'Bad Mother Fucker' and ask for Jules." Supafly_fresh

This is literally only the second time I've ever seen someone ask about RV delivery on ePlaya, and no one had an answer the first time. (No one knew, or if they did, they weren't saying). I'm sure it's done, but that that degree of service is not commonly requested or used. So you might have to research that one, and/or network with your friend and his ties to various camps. Good luck . . .

*** 2017 Survival Guide ***"I must've lost it when I was twerking at the trash fence." -- BBadger

If you're considering an RV, good luck. Not impossible at this late date, but many are already reserved in the vicinity of the major ports of entry. Sans RV, the event is survivable with adequate shelter, sunshade, clothing, and the obvious need for food and water...not a picnic, but survivable.

Don't bore your friends with all your troubles. Tell your enemies instead, for they will delight in hearing about them.

Asquared wrote:BW - i just phrased it like that to save typing. it def comes across that you are 1) pretty self reliant and 2) have very good intentions and 3) know your limitations of what you can and cannot do. kudos to you for that!

Yeah I got that Asquared...and thank you; it's lovely to have such a warm welcome.

Man thanks for the other answers as well..... very much appreciated guys. I think my partner may be a tad nervous abotu the idea of a tent in those conditions...me...as long as i'm comfortable I'm happy sleeping in a ditch frankly.

But i'd rather not break my partner on our first burn...i'd like there to be more for us after all! So I guess it's time to read some more!

Just so you have some perspective: I'm guessing 55% of the city sleeps in a tent (I have, 8 times). It's not considered grotesque.

Knowing what you "need" and taking care of your partner is smart, though.

You could check a place like Sacramento or Salt Lake City or Vegas for an RV Rental (Reno is usually booked up very soon). If you can't find someone to deliver it for you, and are tightly scheduled, you might have to sacrifice a day to picking it up and driving it, and another day or two at the end for driving again and cleaning it (or recognize that you may have to eat the cleaning fee). None of these things are particularly outrageous, btw. We do have threads about keeping RVs clean. Google keeping the RV dust free eplaya. keyword + eplaya = awesomeness.

Dragonpilot's recommendation that you meet other UK Burners is sound, though. The further people travel, the more likely they are to rent an RV. You might find someone looking to share the cost of one. For example, new user mmmermaid, from Scotland, at the bottom of this post, which I happened to see under "View New Posts". If you don't hit it off with mmmermaid, check the 2013 Share Resources forum again from time to time or the rideshare.burningman.com link when it's live (there is a 2013 link right now but I don't really think it's operational yet; it's too soon).

If I were you, and I have been in exactly your situation twice already, I would try to get an RV from the San Francisco area (anywhere else closer is already booked), and then try and find someone on rideshare, who is looking for a ride, and would be willing to do the RETURNING for you. Returning the RV is the crux here and it what kills quite a few days. (we are flying to Vegas this year, PM me if you want to hitch a ride with us)

On the outbound, you pick-up the RV Monday morning (12pm), and get to the burn at about midnight Tuesday (taking into account traffic and a long wallmart stop).On the inbound things get trickier - you can't return the RV until Tuesday because Monday is labour day in America, which means you won't be back in the UK till Wednesday mid-day, UNLESS you find someone who is kind enough to return the RV. In that case, you can leave after the temple burn (or man burn if you in a hurry), clean the RV in Reno (budget about 2 hours), dump grey/black water (budget 30-45 minutes as you will need to find where to dump - you can dump at the Gas station in Wadsworth but it isn't cheap), and you can possibly take the late Monday fight if leave right after temple burn and IF exodus isn't horrendous. If you leave after the man burn then you can definitely be on the Monday morning flight and your friend will return RV for you Tuesday.

Hi guys I'm in the same situation as you it's my 1st time heading to burning man. Im heading to the playa from lincolnshire although I have booked a rv from Vegas and have my self a 500 mile drive. The camper I have is only small but would be willing to offer a lift and use of facilities like fridge cooker shower etc in return for fuel donations. This does all depend on where you are flying to dates of travel etc.

THank you for the latest replies folks - very much appreciated...lots of food for thought.

Sadly - part of the issue with me organising stuff right now is (a) a fairly serious family issue that is taking a lot of time and energy and (b) we're just completing on a new home so i'm mid-packing and spending stupid amounts of money on furniture etc...... all of which makes it a little tricky to focus on something happening in August (although I appreciate I *really* need to get on this!)

5tan - what dates are you going out? We can't committ to specific dates just yet...need some family stuff on a more even keel first (which to be fair, should happen fairly soon...). We could well be up for chipping in - also what size van did you get?

Hi guys I only have a dinky little thing as I'm traveling alone. From what I hear it is far to small for 3 adults to sleep but there is more than enough room to haul stuff and have people along for the ride and share the use of shower fridge generator etc

My travel plans are fly out on 23rd i think are pick up the rv on the 24 then I have a day or so to prep it for the playa and get supplies. I'm told its a 500 mile drive and will take beetseen 8-12 hours my retern date is something like the 3rd of 4th then I fly home on the 6th

5ta - that's a great rv. Easy to drive and pretty economical on gas. Perfect for a couple or a single person and indeed too small for 3 adults since the 3 person sleeps on the "dining room" table.

Beatwrangler- figure out your out your stuff first, but if you find 15 minutes free do a quick google on cheap rv for rent and get a deposit on one. It is a £50 option which worse case you lose. I also recommend getting in the UK mailing list, last years there were some people lookin to transfer a booking pretty last minute for very good prices.